Much has been written in the news, on Facebook and among
bloggers about the historic and truly revolutionary demonstrations currently
taking place in most major cities throughout Brazil. Ignited by the back-breaking
final straw of yet another urban bus fare increase, youth activists as well as
professionals, their families, seasoned change makers and even atrophied
activists from an earlier time have taken to the streets to cry ‘enough!’
The cry has widened from this original ill-conceived revenue
increase once again placed on the backs of the poor and middle class to include
demands for better health care, schools and general infrastructure improvements.
An obvious example of misplaced government priorities is writ large in the
billions of dollars going to host the World Cup and the Olympics rather than to
solve entrenched social problems.
The focused target identified as the source of much of what
ails Brazil and what must change to ever see lasting improvements is the
endemic corruption among politicians at all levels and the often ridiculous and
always expensive burdens they levy on the people.
In this post I am not going to repeat the news about the inspiring
demonstrations happening throughout Brazil or try to offer my two cents about
where or by what means this popular uprising will go from here. I have included
a number of links at the end of this post to direct you to some terrific
resources (in English) that offer some background, current reporting and varied
analysis worth your time. Please follow the links for some really great stuff.
In cases like these, as a foreign national and new resident
in Brazil, what I don’t know about the depth and breadth of this problem outweighs
what I do know. But I have had quite a few personal experiences that have
brought me face to face with the mood of many Brazilians when it comes to
politics and any hope for change.
Clearly a sleeping giant has been awakened. Brazilians are
at the end of their rope and are speaking out. Let me share with you some of my
personal observations that betray the size of this giant.
When I first arrived in Brazil I noticed a kind of resignation
among people that the trains would never run on time. It was taken for granted
that politics was a lost cause and that all politicians were thieves. You may
recall that in the last national election the politician that received the most
votes of any Congressman in Brazil was an actual professional clown and
humorist; he was a protest vote.
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| Several thousand people came out in Niteroí. |
Any time I spoke with enthusiasm about what I saw to be
hopeful political signs (like the election of Lula from the Workers Party)
people were polite/patient with me but dismissive and impatient with the subject.
Even electing Lula (who most of my friends voted for) brought but a moment’s
grin before folks would shrug and retreat to their place of indifference and
hopelessness.
Any example I would raise to suggest the possibility of a
positive change was slapped down with a dozen examples of corruption, cronyism,
government inaction or downright hardship brought on by elected officials. These
were well seasoned opinions built over time by countless real life examples.
Time after time friends and family would joke about crooked
politicians (because only joking made the topic tolerable) and every story ended
with a sigh and an exasperated “what are you gonna do?”
Being new to Brazil I always looked (and still look) for the
‘glass half full’ take away. This was my new home and I was in love in so many
ways with Brazil. Learning about recent political histories just ruined the
buzz.
Every family had stories of hard working youngsters
finishing university only to lose opportunities to corrupt government officials
or institutionalized prejudice or nepotism at public and private workplaces.
Nobody was surprised or even flinched when I reported my having
to make multiple trips to the Federal Police office over 2 years to finally get
my permanent visa. Unbeknownst to me, my story was actually seen by locals as a
success story for getting my paperwork through the bureaucracy so fast.
People here have long since resigned themselves to a broken
system run by men (mostly men) who line their pockets with citizen tax dollars
and then conspire to never hold each other accountable. It is a mess.
On another note: In my former life in the States I was a
professional fundraiser for nonprofit agencies of one sort or another for
nearly 20 years. Here in Brazil people are skeptical to the bone that any monetary
donations they make to a charitable cause will EVER make it to those in need.
Everyone can recount a dozen stories off the top of their head about government
officials (or evangelical church leaders, for that matter) pocketing these
funds for personal gain. Making cash donations is exceptionally rare, with few
exceptions. [It’s worth noting that much
of what is done by charitable organizations in the USA is done by the government
in Brazil. There are only a tiny number of nonprofit organizations here compared
to the States.]
There has always been a sense of hopelessness that the
government, in any of its forms, was going to contribute to the solution for
anything.
It appears, now, we have hit a breaking point. In the case
of the current demonstrations young people are stepping up and demanding that
their future not be stolen away from them. And they have found millions of likeminded
others who are ready to join the chorus.
Some of the politicians are listening. Some are scared. Many
will try to levy the heavy hand of the police to make this all go away.
Whatever is yet to come – things seem far from over.
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| It does not help to protest and then return to the same corruption as always. Protest today Brazil, but change the vote in 2014 |
The people of Brazil seem ready to hope again. I, for one,
could not be more thrilled to be here at this time in history to witness the people
of this country I have come to love so much mobilize to wrench the reins of
power and the future from those who have stolen them. Wish us luck.
To learn more of the newsy details check out the following:
News articles that go at least a little bit beyond the violence by the fringe elements and try to lay out what is happening are here, here and here.
Posts
3 comments:
Beautifully written, Jim. You've captured the feelings of what what's going on very well, along with what has been the huge separation of the "broken Brazil" and the actual good-hearted people of Brazil. The links at the end are full of clear information as well, so I hope people follow those and pay attention.
I can't tell you how happy we are to be part of Brazil right now, and to see how the tide is turning! We love Brazil so much, and think the people deserve so much better than what they've been dealt. We love Brazil too, and feel like we're lucky to have a chance to live there again even with it's complications. Here's to hoping that there is some real change!
Great post Jim! You always have a great take on what is going on here.
Good post, Jim. I hope things are well with you.
I think what's lacking from the protests are the specific calls to action. It's basically a free-for-all, with everyone chiming in on what they want (with some taking what they want, in the case of some of the vandalism). The bus fare decrease was a specific request and they got a positive response to it. What they need now, if there is a "they" that can be specified, is to ask for more specific things. Saying "we want a better country, so go do something about it" to the gov't isn't the best way of doing things, in my opinion.
- Adam (writing from Lisbon)
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